CAREYBUSTSBONE, SHOULDBEREADYFORLATENIGHT

KU freshman Jeff Carey banged his right hand and broke a bone in his fifth metacarpal during a pick-up game earlier this week. He should be ready for the start of practice.

Kansas University basketball freshman Jeff Carey, a 6-foot-11 native of Camdenton, Mo., broke a bone in his right hand during a pick-up game Tuesday.

Carey, who is currently wearing a splint, fractured the fifth metacarpal in his shooting hand. He's expected to be back in action for the Jayhawks' first practice at midnight, Oct. 17.

Carey averaged 19.3 points and 12.7 rebounds per game last season at Camdenton High. He led the Lakers to an 18-9 record and earned a perfect grade-point average.

Carey chose KU over St. Louis, Illinois, Iowa and Missouri.

It is possible Carey will red-shirt this season. KU coach Roy Williams and Carey have stated no decision would be made until prior to KU's first game.

"I'm not sure if I'll red-shirt," Carey said after signing with KU last spring. "A red-shirt might be the best thing for me. But I'll have to wait and see. I just want to do what's best. My main goal is to play professionally."

Point guard Janisse recovering: Carey is the second KU newcomer to suffer an injury during fall semester. Earlier this semester, junior transfer Jelani Janisse tore ligaments in his left ankle.

Janisse, 6-3 guard from Los Angeles City College, continues to recover from surgery and is expected back in early December.

Janisse, like Carey, is off limits to the media until his first game here. However, Janisse did report on his KU sports information questionaire he worked for a law firm in Los Angeles this summer.

He had no scholarship offers out of high school. "People have always called me a 'sleeper' and I still don't know why," Janisse said.

Bulls attract attention: KU is getting swamped with media requests for the NBA's Chicago Bulls-Seattle SuperSonics exhibition game on Oct. 11 at Allen Fieldhouse. KU is planning on staffing extra floor security for the game. Several years ago, fans swamped the floor at Kansas City's Kemper Arena prior to a Bulls exhibition game. Fans were trying to obtain autographs as the team warmed up.

At the time, the Bulls threatened to leave and not play the game unless fans returned to their seats. After that, there were no more problems.

There are reports scalpers are asking up to $75 for the worst seats in the house, originally priced at $25. The $50 tickets reportedly are going for $200. KU officials have no power to stop the scalpers.

Late Night to be late: Late Night With Roy Williams, set for the evening of Oct. 17, will begin later than usual. KU's volleyball team has no match scheduled that night and basketball practice can't begin until midnight in accordance with NCAA rules. The skits and entertainment last about an hour so it's possible the building won't open until after 9 or 10 p.m. Details will be released in coming weeks.

High ranking: KU is ranked second in Basketball Times' preseason poll. North Carolina is ranked first and Arizona third. After KU, the next Big 12 team is Texas at No. 12. However, rankings were made before frosh sensation Lamar Wright was booted from the Longhorns' team.

KU in the 90s: No team has won more games in the 1990s or won at a higher percentage than KU. The Jayhawks have won 228 games in the '90s, followed by Kentucky (219), Arkansas (213) and North Carolina (212). KU's win percentage is .832 to top Kentucky (.814), Arizona (.788), Arkansas (.771) and North Carolina (.768).

E-mail from Haase: Former KU guard Jerod Haase, who averages 20 points and eight assists for a traveling team in Macedonia, reports, "Everything is going well now. Our team is decent and we are winning. We will be one of the top teams here, but life in basketball is nowhere near what it was at KU."